Human Side
by littlesparrow33
Summary: Sequel to Primitive Side. A glimpse into what else happened in Crematoria before Riddick and Kyra escaped. Warning: UST


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, plots, or locations from Pitch Black or Chronicles of Riddick. Some company holds all rights to Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick and this story is only created for pleasure, not profit.

Author's Note: Riddick finds Jack with some unresolved tension to deal with. Questions need answering and an understanding needs to be reached. Set during The Chronicles of Riddick, on Planet Crematoria. Begins at the scene where they meet in Crematoria, just after Jack puts a knife to his spine. Warning: UST, sequel to _Primitive Side_ – must read that first to get everything. Enjoy.

Human Side

He still remembered her smell. Her body and her voice had changed and there was a new look in her eyes, but her scent had largely remained the same, simply more mature, a little spicier. When he held her against the bars, pressing against her lithe form, Riddick breathed in the familiar sweat and let down his guard.

After Jack… no, Kyra, had cut him and slipped away, Riddick prowled the tunnels, learning the layout and thinking about what had passed.

As soon as he had heard from Iman that Jack was sent to Crematoria, he began planning their escape. This foul, dank prison was no place for her and who better to free her from her cell than an escaped convict? He knew that she was going to be different… Riddick knew better than anyone what killing did to a man, or woman. But after meeting Kyra, he had to admit he wasn't really bothered by the change. Despite her talk, he knew that this wasn't Jack gone, this was Jack grown up… grown up beautifully.

Not exactly what he had wanted for her. No, when he left her with Iman, he expected that one part of his life to stay pure and protected. He expected the holy man to care for her… but he should have known. Nothing was going to tame that little spitfire. But there was no choice. It wasn't safe for Jack to stay around him, not with the bounty hunters …and not with himself. Still, Riddick's primitive side grumbled—he would have preferred that she learn to fight from him.

Well, there was always time to test her.

At last, prison all checked out, Riddick migrated to the 'showers.' After everything with the Necros and the mercs, he could use a rinse. The man who first welcomed him sidled up to him, still trying to intimidate him and take a measure of the other convict. When he heard the alarm shrill out, Riddick's eyes followed the man as he stepped back to his own haunts, and Riddick backed off himself, to watch for what was coming.

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The beast had been nice, Riddick thought with satisfaction. He had smirked at the look on the other convict's face when he told the man, 'It's an animal thing.' There's no better way to turn a monster into a pussy than by showing it what a real alpha male was.

He heard a few guards around the corner sneering at a convict. His ears pricked up when he heard 'she's always got a blade somewhere;' that could only be one person. Stealthily, Riddick moved along the shadows until he was in a position to watch what was happening.

The guards were crowding her, keeping an eye out for any sudden movements. It seemed that she was known for causing them some trouble. Riddick felt a small bubble of pride at the thought, a small bubble that burst into a burning hatred as the man checking her grabbed her ass. The instant fury at the man's audacity to touch something of _his_ brought him back to the time of his other failure to protect her, his pleasure at killing Davis …and his own reasons for staying away and leaving Jack behind. Scowling fiercely, he held himself back, knowing that he had to see how Kyra had learned to deal with this.

When he saw her lash out in a fury, pride trickled back into him and he calmed down a little. It was beautiful to see her flip through the air, as though she were made to fly rather than walk. Seeing the other men step forward to subdue her, he stepped aside and made as if he had just arrived, casually sipping some tea he had scrounged together earlier.

"I don't think she likes being touched."

He had caught their attention. They all shifted to observe the new threat, the new 'meat' to them, and Kyra slid back but stayed on the cell bars observing closely. She still had those watchful instincts from their first escape, Riddick noted.

Bantering with the guard, Riddick was calm in the confidence that the man was nothing to him. After he shoved and twisted his 'teacup' into the guard's heart, he saw the dawning fear in the other men as they watched him pick up the dead man's pin and place it next to him. Riddick almost laughed, watching them scurry away, knowing that he owned this prison now. His mood turned somber as he saw Kyra kneel forward and yank the cup out of the corpse's chest.

"Death by teacup. Damn, why didn't I think of that?" she mused glibly.

Her face and expression… this wasn't the face of a girl who unquestioningly admired him anymore, but rather the woman looking to learn more from his brutality. Kyra was amazing, no question, but Riddick could also feel what was missing from her and knew that it was because of him. His instincts still screamed that she was his, but his dark mood forced those down.

He turned away from her, "I didn't come to play who's the better killer."

Riddick stopped at her next words. "But it's my favorite game. Haven't you heard?" No.

"I heard you came looking for me."

"Then you missed the best part." As Riddick heard her story, he jerked his head in compressed rage. She had signed up with mercs. _Mercs_. The same bastards who Riddick had spent all those years protecting her from. She had signed up with _mercs_.

"I told you to stay in New Mecca," Riddick growled out. Furious, he ripped down a light and tore off his goggles. "_You_ _didn't listen!_" He leaned in close, anger rolling off of him in waves. He could feel Kyra shrinking back a little, but she didn't step down. His voice was low and tight. "I had mercs on my neck, I'll always have mercs on my neck. And you go and sign up with the same bastards who wanted to cut you up and use you for bait." She was silent and he turned away.

Her whisper cut across the room. "There was no one else around."

There was raw pain and need in her voice. In that sentence, Riddick could hear Jack's voice rising up beneath Kyra's, that same understood plea for protection and security that she had asked for years ago on the merc ship. The protection that he had promised, and was snatched away…

She was gone. Riddick paused, her words sinking into him, pushing their way through the fury at her disobedience, at her idiocy, at the mercs …at his own failure. Instinct screamed at her for placing herself in harm's way, but that spark of humanity… that spark that had never completely died away …found him forgiving her. Thoughts spinning, he stalked away.

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Most of the time, she stayed out of sight. After their encounter, Riddick could feel her gaze on him, even as he paced past the cells and observed the other prisoners. Kyra remained close, but he only caught glances of her in his peripheral vision or whiffs of her scent when tiny gusts would stir up. Riddick kept a stony expression but a large part of him was smirking in satisfaction. Even if she was bitter, even if she wanted her independence, she still treated him as a Pack leader and followed him around like a tame bitch. He wondered if her slinking about was something she did to keep herself in practice or if it was to lay low around the other convicts; she did seem to be one of the few females being held here. And none of the others could match up to Kyra, not even close.

He shook himself a little and focused on the next row of cells. It wouldn't do any good to think of what she might have been through; he'd only get enraged and he wasn't sure what his primitive side would demand of him to correct such mistakes.

The holding cells around the main chamber were boring, mostly for the convicts who were completely cowed by the guards. As he moved deeper into the tunnels, there were plenty of hardened faces and members of the 'inmates,' who worked alongside the guards when it suited them. Spaces became greater and occupied cells far in between, the deeper he went. He could definitely feel Kyra behind him now, prowling just around every turn and he wondered if this was her territory, here.

He soon found out. After a minute of silence, he finally came upon her cell, separated from the rest of the 'inmates.' Her scent was in here and the few possessions that she'd either brought with her or 'won' from other prisoners. He didn't pause for a moment, simply walked into the cell to have a better look around. If it belonged to her, it belonged to him.

Ropes, chains, and other potential weapons were scattered around the space. There was a hunk of stone that served as a small table and held the meager personal hygiene care that convicts could scrounge up or barter off each other. Nothing of any particular value or interest was in sight, but Riddick didn't approve of the carelessness of the weapons easily accessed by the door.

Seeming to read his mind, Kyra crept in and spoke, "No one else comes here. Not even the guards." She moved over to the bed to sit and watch him look around. "The door locks from my side, too," she added, gesturing to some chains. It seemed she had rigged some of the chains that only appeared useless to pull tight and lock the cell door from the bed area. Riddick gave her a fraction of a nod and leaned against the wall, staring at her.

She stared back, inscrutable for the moment. Then she shifted her perception and ran her eyes up and down him, licking her lips. Riddick felt his blood warming at the lust he could see in her eyes, but he didn't move. Kyra flowed out of her seat with the grace of a panther and pressed a hand against his chest. She leaned in to sniff his neck, and he let himself feel a spark of amusement at the way she copied his first approach in Crematoria. But once her hand started to move, he clasped her wrist and held it still.

Kyra leaned back, eyes flashing, and asked, "Why not?"

Riddick leveled her with a glare. "You don't know what you're asking for," he rumbled out.

Kyra started to tug at her arm and push against him with her free hand. "After everything, I think I _do_ know," she hissed. "I'm no little girl anymore."

He growled back at her. "You've never had _me_, Kyra."

At this, she went into a frenzy, alternately trying to punch him and press up against him, lost in a lust and insanity that he'd somehow triggered. But, fighter though she was, she still couldn't match up to him, and he had her arms pinned in moments. She still struggled, though, and he bit out, "Remember who you're talking to, Kyra." Riddick gripped his strong arms around her torso and slung the both of them onto the bed, swinging her over his lap.

She froze, and he was pulled into the memory of them, sitting just like this, on the merc ship to New Mecca. He remembered Davis' perverted scheming, Jack's fright and vulnerability, and the blood of the captain and his men spilling over the deck in Riddick's retribution. He felt her beginning to tremble and her voice, infinitely softer, called to him, "Riddick?"

With a sigh that was more like a huff of air, Riddick replied as he had before, "You're safe, Kyra. Sleep."

His words prompted her to frustrated tears and she quivered and cried (silently) in his arms. He didn't move an inch and she finally exhausted herself into a fitful sleep. Riddick lay them both down on the bed and tugged the door into its locking position. It made a faint clang, but Kyra seemed to ignore it and continued sleeping.

Contemplating the girl-woman in his arms, Riddick knew his instincts would rise to claim her next time. There was no denying the heat he felt beneath his skin everywhere he touched her, and she certainly wanted him, in a newer and more exhilarating way than before. But he didn't want to take her without having her recognize him as he was. Kyra was more than a little unhinged, more than a little wild, and earlier she wouldn't have known him from any other healthy dick in the joint. He needed to wake her up, and then he could claim her in every way he wanted, and she would know that she belonged to Riddick, Pack leader and protector. It had taken five years, but he would finally have her, and no other man would touch her again.

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She woke quickly, and he jerked awake at the same time, feeling her body tense up. Riddick loosened his arms enough for Kyra to slip out and spin across the cell to get a better look at him. He could tell the moment she recalled the latest events by the way her body shifted. Kyra didn't seem to know how to hold herself in front of him, whether to keep up her toughened instincts or to relax, the way she had long ago.

Leisurely, he sat up, stretching his muscles. He nodded to her and simply stated her name, "Kyra."

For a long time, she didn't respond, and he stared her down in nearly the same way that he did the beast from earlier. Finally, she inclined her head, and he could hear the plaintive note behind her bravado. "Riddick," his name came out slowly, as though she was trying to recall a distant, pleasant memory. Kyra's eyes sharpened, however, and she asked him, "Why are you here?"

That, at least, was a simple question. "I came to get you."

"Why?"

And now a question that wasn't exactly _simple_. Riddick looked at her in speculation and asked, "You think you don't know? How many reasons are there to come to Crematoria, Kyra?"

Her voice was thick with irony. "I'm only familiar with _one_, Riddick."

Riddick actually smiled at that, and he could feel the weight of her stare as she took his presence in again. She didn't come on to him again, but he could feel the hunger under the surface. He stood up and invaded her space, watching the way she tensed without backing down. "I'm looking at another one."

Kyra hissed out a breath that was part pleasure, part frustration. "_Why_, Riddick? That's not enough. That's not… what I thought you…" she tried to turn away with a huff, but Riddick grasped her shoulder and made her face him.

Looking into her face, he said, "You thought I left to get some space, to get away from the lights…" He saw the confirmation in her eyes as he continued, "You were wrong."

"I _wasn't_," she growled back. "You didn't say _anything_ when you left. You _hated it there_, so you just _walked away_."

"_Lie_," Riddick shoved her up against the bars. "I kept the hunters away from you. I drew them as far away as possible from you…"

"But I found them anyway," she sneered.

Riddick huffed and pressed into her, enjoying her squirm even as he shoved down the anger he still felt. "You got bored. Your mistake, not mine." Her hiss was almost as satisfying as her legs twitching for some leverage against him. His next words he rumbled right against her ear, "I left for you and now I'm back _for you,_ _Kyra_."

Her gasp could've been mistaken for a breath if his cheek hadn't been right next to hers. Kyra tried to move her arms, but he was bracing them against the bars behind her, forcing her to address this. She stilled and tried to twist her head to look into his eyes. He leaned back a fraction to oblige, but kept his grip on her wrists.

The strangled word nearly undid him, however. "_Why?_" She was in anguish, nearly crying again, and Riddick wanted to kiss her, devour her, more than ever. He nearly had her.

Watching her eyes, his growl was more primal than ever before, "Because_ you're mine._" And then her surprise and joy was too much to bear and he pressed forward.

Her mouth opened to him as soon as his lips crashed against hers. He plunged into her mouth, savoring the heat and her tongue moving to taste him and wrap around him. Kyra tasted like smoke, as though she had soaked up the place, and he looked forward to replacing that flavor when he took her away. Heated images of where they would go and how he would have her, made him burn even more for her. Without thought, he released her wrists to grab her thighs, grinding into her and making her moan. He could feel her chest heave against him as she tried to breathe through the kiss, if his consumption of her could be called that. Her arms had snaked their way up, wrapping around his broad shoulders and gripping his head to keep his lips in reach.

It felt like an age, letting his primitive side taste her, know her, and Riddick slowly paced it down. He tugged his mouth back, rumbling a laugh as Kyra tried to clamp down on his bottom lip. Sneaking back, he mouthed along her neck, down her jugular, feeling it pulse wildly under him. But as his hands loosened their death grip and eased her legs back down her own hands tightened, her short nails prickling as she moved to grip his neck.

"_Tease_," Kyra accused. "Don't you _dare_ stop."

Riddick laughed again and Kyra shivered against him. "It's almost morning," he told her. "I will have you," she tried to twist his mouth back to hers, but he stayed pressed into her neck, "_after_ we get out."

"_Please_, Riddick," her right leg lifted around his hip to press him forward. "Don't make me wait."

He pressed her back and disengaged to leave a bit of space between then as he looked at her. He knew she could read the laughter in his eyes as she drew in a frustrated sigh. But it seemed she was capable of being calm (perhaps speaking to her desire to escape from this Hell-hole) and she only looked at him as her hand pressed against his cheek.

"Why didn't you _say_ anything?" she whispered, and Riddick knew her mind was back to when he had left Helion Prime. He didn't say anything, but she seemed to expect it. Still, she asked. "Was I yours before you left?"

A hard kiss; this time he kept it closed, simply demanding, and she allowed it. "Always," he bit out. Pulling away, he paced back to the bed, trying to get rid of some of the tension in his muscles.

Kyra watched him pace a moment before picking up a few items around the cell. She attached some blades to her clothes and waited on him. Seeing her ready, with the trust he had finally put back in her eyes, almost made him smile. But they had to get out first, so he hardened himself. Tombs and his crew would be up and about soon, and he didn't want to miss what might be his only chance. Moving to the door, Kyra started to fall in behind him, but he gripped her arm to stop her.

"Keep close," he warned.

She gave a tight nod. Riddick saw her preparing for this as much as he was with warm pride. This was the Kyra he needed, who knew him and herself without question. He hoped to Hell she could hang onto this sanity, but he was confident she could rise above this place when he called for her.

Heading back to the main cavern, Riddick felt her slip along behind him until she loped off into a side tunnel. Emerging into the open space, he saw her tuck away into a convenient watching post and inwardly smiled. Yes, she would stay in reach, and follow him when the time came.

Finally, he would have her back.

Nothing in the past five years had felt so right.

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…

…

…

…

"Are you with me, Kyra?"

Wide eyes, staring. And a whisper: "I was always with you."

Then nothing; darkness.

And his human side, born so briefly, flickered away once more.

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End file.
